write. eat. repeat.

Young Adult Novels

Five days left until publication….Honestly, I don’t know how it’s possible. I’m excited. I’m nervous. I’m thrilled. I’m hyperventilating. I’m so ready for it and so terrified. I never knew it was possible to have so many emotions all happening simultaneously. That laughing and crying and being anxious could all intermingle at once. That something so nerve-wracking could also bring so much joy.

My very first novel is almost in the world, and then it no longer belongs to me, this precious book baby that I’ve loved and nurtured and cared for. It will soon belong to all of you.

Five days. Less than a week. Oh. My. Gosh. I’m so ready, are you????

Fun things to round up before my next publication day post (!!!!!!!):

Phantom Rin has included SJTR merchandise in her shop. I swear I’m going to save my pennies and order EVERYTHING. SJTR-themed dresses and pillows and phone cases and wall art and more. What a dream come true to have my characters featured along with some amazing fandoms!

I also have Phantom Rin to thank for surprising me with this FREAKING FANTASTIC tour graphic. I’m one of her illustrations and it’s SO COOL!!!!

Next, I teamed up with Brittany from Novelly Yours to create a STALKING JACK THE RIPPER-inspired candle. Initially, I’d placed a custom order for special door prizes for launch day, but when she asked if I’d like to make it a public listing I jumped at the opportunity. I know not everyone will be able to make it out to the cities on tour, and thought it was a great way for everyone to have their own special SJTR swag.

Guys? I might be biased, but the scents I chose and the way Brittany worked her magic with bringing them together…this is the best candle EVER. I haven’t stopped breathing them in since they arrived this week. If you’d like to check it out, please do so by clicking here. The candles have blood splatter and are this fantastic gray with darker gray swirls to evoke the image of a foggy London night. In fact, I named them (actually my mom came up with the name!) FOGGY KNIGHT. It’s a play on a vigilante group in SJTR.

EEEEEEEE! I cannot believe the next post I’ll be sharing is as a published author (!!!!!!!!!). I’ve been waiting YEARS AND YEARS for this and cannot believe it’s really happening.

***UPDATE: for those who’ve asked; SJTR tattoos will be available at ALL B&N locations across the country. (Even if your store doesn’t have an ARC, you can still snag some awesome SJTR swag at your local store!)***

i received some AH-MAZING news last week and could not wait another SECOND to share it with you! from June 10th – 12th Barnes and Noble is hosting a teen event, nationwide, at EVERY store called B-Fest. and guess what??? YOU can stop in over the weekend and pick up some STALKING JACK THE RIPPER temporary tattoos! they are as fierce as my main character, and I hope you LOVE them.

but that’s not ALL the good news….

what if i said there will also be SJTR ARCs given out at 30 B&N locations across the country on Saturday June 11th at 11 am????? because that’s EXACTLY what’s happening! i’m going to post the B&N flyer so you can read about ALL the festivities taking place at your local B&N, and then i’ll share the list of 30 stores that will have STALKING JACK THE RIPPER ARCs as well as temporary tattoo swag. (at the bottom of this post) gah! i am THRILLED that you’ll be able to walk into a store and experience this fun festival for books.

the what: B&N B-Fest at your local Barnes & Noble.

the who: a bunch of authors and swag and book-related festivities all weekend long

the when: June 10 – 12 at Barnes & Noble locations, nationwide

BUT WHAT ABOUT SJTR ARCs: Saturday June 11th at 11am at select locations

and now….for the 30 locations where you can be among the first to snag special ARCs of STALKING JACK THE RIPPER…..

200 East Northern Lights Blvd Anchorage, AK

7849 North Blackstone Avenue Fresno, CA

189 The Grove Drive Suite K 30 Los Angeles, CA

7651 Carson St Long Beach, CA

21400 Hawthorne Blvd Torrance, CA

40570 Winchester Rd. Temecula, CA

340 Christiana Mall Newark, DE

12405 N Kendall Drive Miami, FL

1450 Ala Moana Blvd. Suite 1272 Honolulu, HI

101 Jordan Creek Parkway Unit 12170 West Des Moines, IA

6501 N Grape RD Mishawaka, IN

98 Middlesex Turnpike Burlington, MA

17111 Haggerty Rd. Northville, MI

3055 South Glenstone Springfield, MO

395 Route 3 East Clifton, NJ

5555 S. Virginia St. Reno, NV

567 North Stephanie Henderson, NV

33 East 17th Street New York, NY

91 Old Country Road Carle Place, NY

131 Colonie Center Suite 355 Albany, NY

150 East 86th Street New York, NY

555 Fifth Avenue New York, NY

1560 Polaris Parkway Columbus, OH

4015 Medina Road Akron, OH

3700 West 41st Street Sioux Falls, SD

1201 Lake Woodlands Dr. #3008 The Woodlands, TX

1430 Plaza Place Southlake, TX

2601 Preston Rd Unit 1204 Frisco, TX

3300 Expressway 83 # 1100 McAllen, TX

330 East 1300 South Orem, UT

Yay!!!!!! i hope you get to snag a copy and some temporary tattoos! if your B&N isn’t listed? maybe one of your sweet friends will be super nice and run to their local B&N for you. if you go and grab some swag be sure to use #BFestBuzz and tag me (@KerriManiscalco on twitter) so i can live vicariously through you. 😀 ❤

I’ve been asked by one of my lovely blog friends for a list of books that I’ve read (and recommend) so far this year. Well, I aim to please – so here’s ten of my favorite reads of 2012. I’m sure this list will continue to expand and grow with all the terrific books coming out the second half of the year.

(Please note some of the books aren’t new releases, they’re just books I’ve read since January and adore! Also, they’re listed in no particular order.)

I know I raved about WITHER in my best books of 2011 and FEVER did not disappoint. It’s amazing. And I’m not just saying that because she’s my agent sister. I can’t WAIT to get my grubby little hands on SEVER, the final book in the Chemical Garden Trilogy. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Again, this was something I was worried might not be my thing – but I was WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. I devoured it in one sitting and am anxiously awaiting the next book. Get yourself a copy of this and be amazed by the excellently told story of Cinder.

I just finished this book two days ago and I love it. The ending will make you scream for book three. Thank goodness there’s a continuation because I’m not ready to let go of these characters just yet. If you haven’t read the first book HOURGLASS, do so immediately!!!

I can’t even begin to describe how awesome this was, if you haven’t gotten a copy yet – drop everything you’re doing and run to your local bookstore. Lissa is another one of my agent sisters, but I’d devour it even if she wasn’t. (What can I say? My agent has fabulous taste :)) If you liked the HUNGER GAMES, you’ll love it. SO GOOD.

This is a book GoodReads recommended I try and I’m super glad I did. It’s one of the best mythology retellings I’ve read. It’s fresh and clever and I could go one for days. LOVED IT.

* * *

That was hard picking just ten! There are soooooo many other great books I’ve read recently. (One of them being UNRAVELING by Elizabeth Norris, and INSURGENT by Veronica Roth.) If you’d like to see what else I’ve been reading (and suggest your favorite reads to me) friend me on GoodReads by clicking here.

Oh my, oh my, OH MY. I can’t believe it’s Friday, which is a good thing. But STILL. Where does the time go? More importantly WHERE DID MY BRAIN GO?! There’s so much happening.

Here’s the deal:

I received a reader’s report on my current manuscript several weeks ago, LURVED the suggestions and got to work going balls deep in revisions. In the end, I was SUPER pleased.

Wait…did you notice my word choice…was…that wasn’t a mistake.

I’ve been sick with a fever and bronchitis and somehow during my feverish delirium an amazing idea struck me. LIKE SO EFFING AMAZING I CAN’T BELIEVE I DIDN’T THINK OF IT SOONER. I SHOULD HAVE FEVERS ALL THE TIME THEY MAKE ME SO SMART.

Then another thought hit me…and I banged my head against my laptop for a good forty-five minutes.

STUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPID…

Ahem. Excuse me.

Where was my crystal ball three weeks ago? Why didn’t I foresee this plot twist? WHERE IS MY LITERARY PSYCHIC CAP?!!

Face punch. Punch. Punch. Punch. Punch.

I promised myself I wouldn’t touch the damn book again. Then I remembered I write fiction…I LIE.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I sent my project out into the query world prematurely. Quite the opposite. It’s been beta’d, critiqued, beta and critiqued, beta and critiqued and slaughtered and shelved a MILLION BA-JILLION KA-TRILLION times before it ever saw the light of day.

It’s getting a lot of requests as is. But this one little added detail, which is SOOOOO easy to build into the current framework of the manuscript is REALLY something sparkly. Like superhero power sparkly.

Sigh.

It’s like the difference between a unicorn and a goat. Subtle. So, so very subtle. They both have horns and four legs. But they’re just not the same.

I can only hope one of the agents who currently has my manuscript will fall in love with it and then I can share my additional WOWZA factor. And they can be all, OMG I was thinking the SAME EXACT THING we are literary twinsies. Hey, a girl can dream, right?

But whatever way it works out, my current manuscript is super sparkly. And that’s the most important thing, right?

Back of book blurb: in the ruins of a place once known as North America lies a nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before–and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Review: Everyone I run across keeps GUSHING about this book, and by everyone I’m talking about EVERYONE. So I picked up a copy to see what the buzz is about, and I’ve got to say, in the beginning I wasn’t feeling it. Honestly, I didn’t like it at all, but the important thing is, I kept reading.

I didn’t keep reading because of the agents, or publishers, or anyone else that’s talked about the novel. I kept reading because the author sucked me in with the characters, I HAD to find out what happened to Katniss & Peeta next. Would they survive? Would they die? I couldn’t put the damn book down.

I didn’t like Katniss. I didn’t like Panem. The whole idea of it repulsed me, but I kept reading, and pulling for her to win. By the time I hit page thirty I was completely hooked. During the rest of the novel, I felt my heart pounding along with Katniss, felt the love she had for her sister, and the anger she felt towards her mother, her confusion towards Peeta and her desire to survive. The resentment and rebellion they both felt towards a government that could kill innocent kids for the sake of instilling fear against rebel Districts was palpable.

Suzanne Collins created a world, likable or not, that was not only believable, but probably more real than we’d like to admit. The suspense was genuine, as were all the emotions Collins filled the characters with.

The author told a great freaking story. In fact, I’m going to stop writing a little earlier today so I can go to the bookstore and pick up the next book in the series, Catching Fire.